I just completed one of the sets. It was the Ice Dragon. Like most I looked at this line and said, meh, but I liked the look of the dragon head so I decided to give it a try. Overall it was a fun build but what I really liked were some of the pieces in this set. The dragon feet are awesome as well as the tri-flanged part for the claws on the wings.http://www.bricklink.com/catalogItemPic.asp?P=92692Also a lot of ball joints in this set. Let's not forget the dragon's head which is really well done. While I'm not overly excited about this line or the idea of ninjas as sword wielding whirling dervishes, I really enjoyed this set for the overall look and part selection.

When Bionicle first came out, most AFOL's said meh - but the kids loved them. At first glance, most people are saying the same about this series, but it may very well prove popular with kids too.

Remember, Lego is a toy company first and foremost. If they make buckets of money with children selling Bionicle or some other series, then who cares, really? More chance then that they'll take a risk bringing out rare UCS sets or something for the collectors, because they're financially solvent enough to do so.

My local stores just started to get them in stock. While they are compatible with other Lego bricks, I don't really view them the same way. I find them strangely addictive though. We have the battle arena set up in our kitchen and I am constantly spinning the figures with my son whenever we are waiting on somebody to leave the house, waiting for food to cook, or whenever we have a spare moment. We don't really play the "game", we just spin the figures and battle.

TRU is doing a promotion this week where if you buy $20 worth of Lego NinjaGo items they'll give you a NinjaGo Card Collecting Binder and a NinjaGo promotional card. The problem though is trying to find $20 worth of NinjaGo items on the shelves to buy since they either don't have a lot of stock or it gets sold out really fast.

Personally, I'm not real into this genre, but my kids love Ninjago. The 2 cartoon episodes that aired a few weeks ago were very well done and they would do well to create more like them. There are a couple of things that are genius moves by Lego...1) Ninjas (a lot of kids are into Karate, martial arts etc.) 2. Cards (a lot of kids are into Pokemon and other card games 3. Competition (kids love to compete). I would also add that the Lego Store has some neat play swords (complete w/back scabbard...just like the Ninjas) along with some neat Ninja headbands - great if your kids like to run around the yard playing Ninja.

Draykov wrote:I still don't quite get the appeal (I was convinced the theme was going to tank), but I understand that this line isn't aimed at me. Kids these days.

Amen to that, I thought as you did that this was going down harder than a donut in front of Kirstie Alley, but alas it has proven itself thus far. I can't keep them in stock and I never grow tired of kids/parents/grandparents coming in and asking for Nin-jugo, Nin-jago, Nin-Jango, Ninja-go, Those Ninjas, Ninjas stuff, and countless other renditions of it.

Draykov wrote:Well, it's official if there was any doubt left. Ninjago is doing great...even better than LEGO expected.

I still don't quite get the appeal (I was convinced the theme was going to tank), but I understand that this line isn't aimed at me. Kids these days.

They don't appeal to me, though I do get the appeal. It's Ninjas. Fighting skeletons. Some of whom are on motorcycles. Throw in some pirates and robots (both of which must also have motorcycles and monster trucks) and you've got something small kids couldn't live without. I do like the new skeletons though. I am going to use them as generals/champions for my skeleton army. The ninjas get to join my older ninjas.

Edit to add: To clarify, I mean the sets themselves don't appeal to me. The skeleton figures and a few of the other figures appeal to me, but not most of the sets. The Dragon is the exception. I have bought it but I have not assembled it yet.

Side question that I hope hasn't already been answered. Are the figures in the spinner sets regular quality or are they of lesser quality?

Peace is a lie, there is only passion. Through passion, I gain strength. Through strength, I gain power. Through power, I gain victory. Through victory, my chains are broken. The Force shall free me. -The Sith CodeBricklink Store

I'm in the "adult" camp that doesn't much care for the premise of this line, it's mostly the skeleton baddies that kill it for me. They're sort of cartoony and over-done, and the idea of "ninjas vs. skeletons" is just too out-there for me (like Draykov said, kids these days!). If this was ninjas only, it would be a very different story.

I do like the ninja figs, and have contemplated trying to collect just those, but I ain't payin' $10 for a fig, spinner, and 3 playing cards. And it appears the impulse sets/polybags only feature the red ninja. Bummer. . .

MrCRskater wrote:I'm in the "adult" camp that doesn't much care for the premise of this line, it's mostly the skeleton baddies that kill it for me. They're sort of cartoony and over-done, and the idea of "ninjas vs. skeletons" is just too out-there for me (like Draykov said, kids these days!). If this was ninjas only, it would be a very different story.

I do like the ninja figs, and have contemplated trying to collect just those, but I ain't payin' $10 for a fig, spinner, and 3 playing cards. And it appears the impulse sets/polybags only feature the red ninja. Bummer. . .

The cheapest boxed set ($5) features a black ninja (along with a spear, knives, a bow, and a katana), if that helps at all.

Peace is a lie, there is only passion. Through passion, I gain strength. Through strength, I gain power. Through power, I gain victory. Through victory, my chains are broken. The Force shall free me. -The Sith CodeBricklink Store

I'm enjoying the theme overall. But then again I'm a big japanese culture/ninja fan so this is like catching up on the old samurai LEGO sets that are long gone. Nevermind the Ice Dragon set in particular is really fun and has some great pieces.

I do agree the skellies are a bit odd - don't like how their legs are designed [stubby] but they're still interesting

So, I have 2 questions.1. Can anyone clarify how many and which episodes actually aired?2. Is there anywhere to see the entire episodes of the first season? I would love to get caught up with my boys before next weeks premiere.

Season one was a four part mini-movie along with six online shorts. The movie was originally only two parts but was split into four when they aired on CN, hence the discrepancy on the 8/10 episodes. They involve the ninja's battle against Lord Garmadon and his skeleton army along with their search for the golden weapons. Not sure where you could find them. Season two will follow the rise of an ancient race of evil snake men. As far as I can tell, they don't involve Lord Garmadon, just his son Lloyd, so unless you really care about finding out how the ninjas got together and found their gold weapons/dragons, season two is a suitable starting point.

Season one was a four part mini-movie along with six online shorts. The movie was originally only two parts but was split into four when they aired on CN, hence the discrepancy on the 8/10 episodes.

Ahh, that makes sense. Thanks for clarifying. We have seen the clips on the Lego site but I wasn't sure if there were additional full 30 minute episodes of season one that we were missing. Appreciate the info!